


Agni Kai

by Ourainymonday



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:20:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22698535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ourainymonday/pseuds/Ourainymonday
Summary: Day 6-8 prompts for Zutara Month 2020
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 31





	Agni Kai

The sunset transitioned from a soft pink to a harsh orange that ripped straight through the sky. But it still wasn’t the same color Zuko remembered on the day of Sozin’s Comet. 

The air seemed stiff around the courtyard, as the Fire Sages lit the torches. They casted an uncanny glow on the surrounding crowd, emphasizing their frenzied excitement. But Zuko couldn’t tell if it was to witness death tonight, or if it was to watch him fail. 

Zuko groaned in annoyance as he tugged the armor off of his shoulders, then his shirt. He took a deep breath with his eyes closed, and stretched. First his neck, then his shoulders. Each joint cracking and warming up with more movement. 

He didn’t think he’d ever have to do this again. 

He didn’t want to do this again. 

But in the depths of the Spirit World was he going to let anyone disrespect Katara in his own Palace. 

His opponent, the most annoying Governor Chan, threw a few ghost punches as he loosened up. He was arguably the youngest governor at 22 and he came from a long line of warriors, one of the oldest in the Fire Nation. His lineage was filled with brutality and blood - he was not a stranger to battle. 

And if Zuko was being honest with himself, he didn’t give a shit.

Katara came beside him, her face stoic and hard. But Zuko knew his wife, and he knew she was beyond pissed. 

“Zuko, I don’t like this,” she stared at him with her arms crossed.

“I know,” Zuko stated as he stared at Chan. He was proud, cocky, and had a defining scar that sliced the right side of his face. 

“You didn’t have to do this,” Katara huffed. 

“But I did, Katara,” he whispered. “No one should talk to you like that.” 

“I can handle myself.”

“I’m aware. But I’m also the Fire Lord, my country’s playing host to the annual summit at the moment, and the type of behavior he exhibited is not tolerated at an annual summit. Ever.”

“Just be careful,” Katara mentioned with her jaw set. Zuko knew she wasn’t completely sold, but it was too late to decline the fight. The last time Zuko tried to do that ended with a straight burn to his face. 

Chan jumped on the balls of his feet and called out, “Why don’t we make this fun, Fire Lord? If you win, I’ll step down as governor. If I win, I get to take the waterbender home with me.”

Just as he spoke, a frozen shard nipped his ear and crashed behind him. If Chan was in pain, he didn’t show it. Instead he examined the blood dripping from the side of his head and laughed. 

Katara’s eyes were feral and irritated, her hands clenching tightly. Zuko shook his head before announcing, “My wife can speak for herself, Chan. And next time, she won’t miss.” 

Chan sneered as he spit to the side, “Duly noted. Let’s go, Fire Lord.” 

Chan came out with a flurry of fiery punches and flying kicks at Zuko, which were all deflected easily. All of Chan’s attacks came as Zuko had thought: predictable, aggressive, and naive. Though he had strength and determination, Zuko had experience. And nothing Chan did was anything like his fight against Azula.

Zuko created large fire whips and began snapping them at Chan, forcing him to leap back and forth in avoidance. The crowd began to scream as those in the front were close enough to the fight that their clothes caught on fire. 

Chan bounced back as the whips dissipated, a light layer of sweat glistening on his skin. He propelled himself into the air and launched an air raid of fireballs in Zuko’s direction. 

Zuko quickly firebent the oncoming attack and redirected them straight at his rival. Chan, able to quickly dodge all except the last fireball - which came in larger than the rest. 

As Chan fell back towards the ground, Zuko bent a funnel of fire that encased both him and Chan. He shrank the distance between them until they were within arms reach of each other. Once Chan was close enough, Zuko landed a right punch to his jaw. 

Chan was knocked backwards, and Zuko sent the fire directly into the sky. Before Chan was able to get up, Zuko knelt on his chest and placed his hand on his throat. 

“I could burn you, Chan. I should kill you, even.” Chan tried to gasp for breath, his face beginning to swell, but Zuko only added heat to his grip. “You _will_ resign from your governor position. And you will never speak to my wife or any woman in that manner again.” 

He stood up off of Chan, who went into a coughing fit before limping off the courtyard. The surrounding crowd dissipated shortly afterwards, leaving Katara and Zuko standing alone.  


Her arms were still crossed, and her eyebrows still angered. “You could’ve gotten hurt.”

Zuko wiped his sweat with a cloth. “But I didn’t. I won.” 

“Last time, it took me six months to heal you.” 

He kissed her pouty lips. “You’re cute when you’re upset.”

“Agni Kais are stressful, Zuko. Next time, I can handle it in half the time and half the grandeur,” she huffed as Zuko put his arm around her, and led her back into the palace. 

He kissed the top of her head. “Are you challenging me?” 

She shrugged with a smile growing on her face. “Are you accepting?”

**Author's Note:**

> So, I just shoved the power couple and soulmate prompts together because in my head, both prompts are similar and synonymous. 
> 
> Also, my fight scene burnt me out despite how small it is. I contemplated for a long time whether or not I wanted to cut the story there to avoid trying to write it, but these month long writing marathons are meant to challenge you in some way, right? 
> 
> I'll try my best to catch up with the prompts :) I think soon I'll try and dabble in a modern AU.


End file.
